To provide a process for producing a fatty acid having high purity from a wax ester, especially a process for producing highly pure gondoic acid from jojoba oil with a simple process.
A wax ester is hydrolyzed, partially neutralized and dissolved in a polar solvent. The solution is cooled, the precipitated crystal of an acidic salt of a fatty acid is collected and decomposed with an acid and the product is distilled to obtain a fatty acid. The distilled fatty acid is (A) dissolved together with urea in an organic solvent and cooled, the precipitated crystal is separated and removed an (B) water is added to the obtained organic solvent solution and the formed oil layer is separated and recovered or (C) urea dissolved in the obtained organic solvent solution, the solution is cooled, the precipitated crystal is collected, water is added to the crystal and the formed oil layer is separated and recovered and (D) the oil layers are dissolved in a polar solvent and partially neutralized, the solution is cooled and the precipitated fatty acid acidic salt is collected and decomposed with an acid.
TAKAMOTO TOMOHIRO
SUZUKI MASAO
